Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Published: June 8, 2021
Source: Publisher
Summary:
For readers of Jane Harper and Rachel Caine comes a chilling thriller from award-winning author Jen Williams about a woman who discovers her late mother had been secretly corresponding with a serial killer for decades.
When prodigal daughter Heather Evans returns to her family home after her mother’s baffling suicide, she makes an alarming discovery–stacks and stacks of carefully preserved letters from notorious serial killer Michael Reave. The “Red Wolf,” as he was dubbed by the press, has been in prison for over twenty years, serving a life sentence for the gruesome and ritualistic murders of several women across the country, although he has always protested his innocence. The police have had no reason to listen, yet Heather isn’t the only one to have cause to re-examine the murders. The body of a young woman has just been found, dismembered and placed inside a tree, the corpse planted with flowers. Just as the Red Wolf once did.
What did Heather’s mother know? Why did she kill herself? And with the monstrous Red Wolf safely locked inside a maximum security prison, who is stalking young women now? Teaming up with DI Ben Parker, Heather hopes to get some answers for herself and for the newest victims of this depraved murderer. Yet to do that, she must speak to Michael Reave herself, and expose herself to truths she may not be ready to face. Something dark is walking in the woods, and it knows her all too well.
My thoughts:
As soon as this book was pitched to me, I knew it was something I wanted to read…and I’m so glad I did. I really liked it, as dark and chilling as it was.
As crazy as this sounds, I love books about serial killers. I just cannot get enough of them and this one really kept me on my toes. I loved the idea that Heather had no idea her mother had been corresponding with a serial killer and upon further investigation, might have even closer ties to him. The book moves aback and forth from the present to the past and I loved that it really keeps things mysterious as to how everything is going to come together in the end.
While I had some guesses, and did figure a few things out before they were revealed, I still found this book to be full of surprises and suspense. It is such an atmospheric read and I really loved how the author works in the fairy tale component – not the Disney versions, but rather the dark, disturbing versions. It definitely adds to the creepiness of the overall book and I loved it!
I might not have agreed with all the character’s decisions – a few times I thought Heather made some questionable choices – but overall, I did like the characters and I found the book to be quite engaging and very readable. It was one that once I started reading, I had a very hard time putting down. I loved dark and disturbing books and if you do, too – definitely give this one a try!
